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GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

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Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#291

Post by rohit89 »

JoshTriplett wrote: post #31
mdekkers wrote: post #19

Yeah, when you host all your code with a 3rd party, and you run all your services with a 3rd party, and you depend on another 3rd party for significant chunks of your functionality, you will find that starting up is a lot easier, as long as you don't mind giving up a very significant chunk of your independence and freedom to do as you wish. I don't understand the obsession with github, google, amazon and the like. We…

Are you really trying to make this about "a very significant chunk of your independence and freedom"? Yes, when you host with people who have standards of conduct and civility, you have to respect those standards. Get over it, or host derogatory content on your own dime.

In the case of github, they can and have taken down/blocked repos that foreign govt have found objectionable. So its not the odd offensive word here and there. Luckily, git makes it easy to have multiple copies of a repo lying around all over the place.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#292

Post by pmalynin »

dchest wrote: post #279
pmalynin wrote: post #12

Buy a $5 DO box and host it yourself. Use any language that you desire.

Pretty much every hosting provider has this in their TOS. https://www.digitalocean.com/legal/terms/ 3.2 You agree that you will not transmit, distribute, post, store, link, or otherwise traffic in Content, information, software, or materials on or through the Service that (i) is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, libelous, deceptive, fraudulent, invasive of another's privacy, tortious, offensive,…

There are things like Liberty VPS etc which "fight" for free speech.

Or Tor hidden service.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#293

Post by jlarocco »

Is there any evidence that this is even real? The repo in question is a fork of a repo that's still up, with the word "retard" still in it. There's tons of foul language on GitHub, why would they single out this one relatively minor instance?

Anybody could fake that imgur picture in about 30 seconds. Does anybody know for sure that the repo was actually unavailable? Has anybody from GitHub responded?

This does remind me I wanted to clone my repos somewhere else, though.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#294

Post by rimantas »

Retra wrote: post #79
CoryG89 wrote: post #40

For people who don't see what's wrong here. The issue is not about whether the word 'retard' is or is not offensive to anyone. You need to consider that GitHub currently hosts a large percentage of the web's open source repositories. This is censorship plain and simple, something that IMO has no place in open source. The issue is that there are plenty of things some people might find offensive on GitHub but you dont…

You don't think standards of professionalism have a place in open source, or on GitHub?

Being offended by words is no sign of professionalism.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#295

Post by jakejake »

CoryG89 wrote: post #40

For people who don't see what's wrong here. The issue is not about whether the word 'retard' is or is not offensive to anyone. You need to consider that GitHub currently hosts a large percentage of the web's open source repositories. This is censorship plain and simple, something that IMO has no place in open source. The issue is that there are plenty of things some people might find offensive on GitHub but you dont…

Censorship of your freedom of speech really only applies when the government is doing it. Github is not the government and, by contract law, you waived your right to freedom of speech when you agreed to their terms of service. If that truly does concern you then you're free to move your code to a new repo, or host it yourself.

Unless Github decides that "anything goes" on their servers then it's going to be a judgement call sometimes. Using the word 'retard' in this context might be seen as harassment, unlike using profanity. I personally think Github made the right call here.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#296

Post by manish_gill »

thedz wrote: post #86
kentonv wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it offensive? Yes. Does Github have the right to take it down? Yes. Is it unethical for Github to take it down? Not at all. But should they? I don't know, I don't think I would have. It's kind of scary to use cloud services where it's hard to tell if your content might be judged in violation of some rule and might suddenly disappear as a result. If the offensiveness were more extreme (say, a repo dedicated to maki…

Your first three questions/answers, summarized, is that "Github ethically and legally removed an offensive word" Should they? Yes. I feel slippery slope arguments get brought up way too much sometimes. Every issue is turning into a binary all-or-nothing ordeal, with no room for nuance or context. As long as what Github did is 1. ethical (removing a generally accepted as offensive word), 2. legal, then I see no proble…

You are quick to summarize how Github is justified in doing this in an utterly benign case and yet are talking about nuance. I don't see any nuance here at all.

1. This itself was an arbitrary call.

2. So the issue needs to escalate to a certain arbitrary number in order for you to be worried? One person's repo getting fucked over is not enough, you want it to happen to 20?

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#297

Post by bduerst »

kordless wrote: post #178
andylei wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what kind of doomsday scenario are you imagining? all the open source repos in the world slowly die as github starts censoring increasingly larger portions of the english language?

I'm imagining a nightmare scenario where, by some vauge unwritten and immature consensus mechanism, we rationalize even a slight amount of censorship as being OK.

So now graffiti removal is a nightmare scenario.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#298

Post by danielparks »

EugeneOZ wrote: post #220
shawnps wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interestingly, a search for "retard" in code on GitHub yields over 200,000 results: https://github.com/search?q=retard&type=Code&utf8=%E2%9C%93 Not sure what made this particular case different.

I don't understand why they don't filter it on upload stage ("push"). "git push" > "sorry, can't push because of words: [list of words here]". Is it more difficult than later disable whole repo because of one stupid joke?

Because you may need to put those words in a repo in a non-offensive context. For example, a list of "bad" words to look for.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#299

Post by tattler »

thedz wrote: post #116
CoryG89 wrote: post #40

For people who don't see what's wrong here. The issue is not about whether the word 'retard' is or is not offensive to anyone. You need to consider that GitHub currently hosts a large percentage of the web's open source repositories. This is censorship plain and simple, something that IMO has no place in open source. The issue is that there are plenty of things some people might find offensive on GitHub but you dont…

1. This isn't censorship of the type that is illegal or not allowed. It is a private company deciding a word was inappropriate. 2. It seems like most in this comment thread agree that this action, as a singular act, is a good thing. The word was offensive. Github asked the repo to change it. They did. The end. 3. As for the larger context, the problem with the frequent use of slippery slope arguments and cries of "ce…

> The word was offensive.

It's not offensive to me, or a lot of people I know. I can think of far more offensive words to use for disabled people, but retard is just colloquial slang now AFAIC.

Re: GitHub threatens to shut down a repository for using the word 'retard'

#300

Post by ectoplasm »

PopeOfNope wrote: post #273
ectoplasm wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You didn't, OP implied it by using the term free speech.

So this entire thread has been a lesson in the pointlessness of pedanticism.

It's pedantic, yes, but on the other hand, I think it's important to distinguish between legal and illegal activity, regardless of one's opinions about the moral goodness of the activity itself.
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